GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum College Women's tennis team is looking to reestablish themselves in their customary spot at the top of the South Atlantic Conference after an uncharacteristic 11-9 season in 2010-11. Tusculum finished sixth in the SAC at 4-5 and lost 5-1 to Brevard in the first round of the conference tournament.
With six of seven players returning from last year's squad and the addition of a pair of talented freshmen, head coach Tommy Arnett begins his 11th season optimistic that his team will be a factor in the league.
"One of our main strengths will be that we are as deep as we've been in several years," said Arnett, who is 164-50 as Women's coach with five SAC regular-season and two SAC tournament championships to his credit. "Also, we are in better condition due to the nice weather. We're ahead of where we've been in the past."
The Pioneer lineup will be led by freshman Holly Verner, who was one of the top singles players in the San Diego area playing for the perennially strong Torrey Pines program and has a very aggressive game. She went 1-1 for the Pioneers in the fall playing at the number-one position.
At number two, senior Katelyn Doss returns after missing nearly all of last season due to injury. After taking a medical redshirt, the three-time second-team All-Conference honoree is back to build on her impressive 41-20 career singles record.
Junior Courtney Conley slides down to number three after being called upon to play number-one singles following Doss' injury. Conley was 6-14 last season after compiling a 12-5 record en route to second-team All-SAC honors in 2010.
Like Conley, junior Taylor Patterson bumps down two spots in the lineup from flight two to flight four. Patterson turned in a credible 7-7 record at flight two last season and went 10-9 overall, after going 16-5 and capturing a spot on the All-SAC second team as a freshman.
At flight five, junior Megan Buckmaster will bring a 22-9 career record into competition. After going 11-0 primarily at flight six as a freshman, she moved up flight three last year and turned in a 7-8 record (11-9 overall).
Rounding out the lineup is freshman Kate Hutchinson, who was a three-time region champion at Calhoun High School in Georgia.
Lineup depth is provided by senior Kristen Keefer, who went 11-8 playing primarily at flight four last season, along with senior Katie Hillis, who returns to flight six after going 13-4 there last season. Hillis has a career singles record of 22-6.
Arnett is still working on his doubles combinations, with the most familiar pairing being that of Conley and Patterson. The duo went 11-3 together at flight two in 2010 and posted a 6-9 record at flight one in 2011. Doss has played at number one throughout her career and has a 43-24 record in doubles play.
"Doubles is going to play an important role for us. We are likely to change combinations to find the chemistry and the athletic ability that we need in order to succeed," said Arnett.
Tusculum opens its South Atlantic Conference schedule on Saturday, March 16 at Newberry and concludes league play on Tuesday, April 10 at the Nichols Tennis Complex against Brevard. The six-team Food Lion SAC Tournament will be played April 19-21 at the Rock Hill Tennis Center in Rock Hill, S.C.
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